The result of a bad back

After the result of speed shopping at Laines, I just have to blog about the result of a bad back. Mums-to-be, mums-already-be, watch out!! After giving birth, our bodies are severely weakened by the traumatic process. Our bodies are weak and we need to take really good care, not only during the confinement months, but for the next 8 months. Especially when you are fully breastfeeding your baby, like me.
The body produces some kind of muscle relaxant when we are pregnant, to allow for the baby to grow and then to be born. This chemical stays in our body for some time following birth. If we don't do a good job of taking care of our spine, the result is a severe muscle pull. That is what happened to me.
On Sunday morning, when I bent down to pick Bri up( i was in the correct bending position some more), I heard and felt a loud crack and something shifting in my back. I felt a severe pain shoot through my back and immediately I put Bri back down. I tried to sit and realized that I could not move at all! Imagine my shock and fear! I yelled for S to come. Poor guy had just fallen asleep for only 45 minutes. I could not sit down and I could not stand up! I was in a half squat position and crying in pain. S took a mattress and tried to help me to lie down. I tried to but the pain just kept shooting through. For the longest 10 minutes of my life, I tried to lie on the floor. Finally, I managed to get myself onto the mattress with S's help. I had to lie only on my side as I could not shift at all. It was a nightmare! Luckily I could still move my legs and wriggle my toes. We were thinking slipped disc! Horrified by the consequences of slipped disc, I nearly panicked again. As usual, my cool and calm hubby decided that I had to go hospital. My MIL called then and wanted to ask me to go and have lunch. I told her that I was lying prone on the floor and could not move at all. She, too, panicked and asked my bro in law to drive her over to see me. Brought the maid and all and lucky too. Cos with all the help, it only took us 1 hour to pack up and rush me to the hospital.
I was finally admitted cos the doctor suspected prolasped slipped disc. The pain was unbearable and even a slight jolt of the wheelchair sent me into spasms of pain. When the orthopedic specialist came, he took a look at my x-ray and pronounced that it wasn't slipped disc, prolasped or not. We all heaved a huge sigh of relief as he went on to explain that it was a very severe muscle pull or tear. The spine was in position and so were all the discs. Hahaha! Said doc. So very enthusiastic and happy. Of course it wasn't him in pain! But then, we were happy also cos the worst did not happen.
I was on traction the whole day and night. On Monday morning, I felt so much better that I could even get up and walk. But then that was all I could do. Walk and lie down. Sitting in a lying down position was painful, bending was impossible, carrying the baby.... don't even think of that! So the doc asked if I wanted to stay another day, but I told him no. I would rather go home and rest. So, I went for physio therapy before being discharged. It was there that I learnt that my muscles at the back was very weak due to "post natal birth" something. Plus I have been breastfeeding and not taking enough calcium and viatmins. Thus, the muscles there were so weak that a tear or pull was just waiting to happen. For the past few weeks, I have already had signs that something was not right. Each time I bent down to do something, I had difficulty getting up and straightening my spine. It then led to this.
So all mothers out there, please please please take care of yourself or else if this happens, life becomes very difficult. Especially if you're a SAHM and all the housework, care giving, cooking, washing falls on your shoulders. Right now, I still have to try to do some stuff cos husb really doesn't know and whoever comes to help me cant do it either.
Sigh...........